Mandarin Monkey Podcast

By: Mandarin Monkey
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  • Summary

  • Chinese and English Language podcast. A mixed couple (Tom & Ula) living in Taiwan, teach Chinese through the use of Chinglish (Chinese and English) on a variety of topics. Learn Chinese, study methods, Entertainment, news, life, business, hints and tricks to learning Mandarin. Hear a native speaking naturally and at natural pace but with the English translation so you can follow the context of the conversation. Enjoy. Get bonus content on Patreon

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    Mandarin Monkey
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Language Learning Social Sciences
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Episodes
  • Life in the Mountains, Nosy Neighbors & Translating Yoshi 2.0

    Life in the Mountains, Nosy Neighbors & Translating Yoshi 2.0
    Feb 21 2025
    In episode #392 of Mandarin Monkey, we speculate about what it’s like moving to the mountains in Taiwan (we don't live in the mountains) and the joys (and challenges) of using Starlink for internet. We also dive into the differences between nosy neighbors in English and Taiwanese culture—who’s watching, who’s gossiping, and who just doesn’t care? Finally, we put our translation skills to the test with I Do It Anyway by Yoshi 2.0. Some lyrics make sense, some... not so much. Tune in for a mix of language, culture, and a few laughs along the way! Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    59 mins
  • Learn Mandarin with the Mandarin Monkey Podcast: Untranslatable Words You Need to Know!

    Learn Mandarin with the Mandarin Monkey Podcast: Untranslatable Words You Need to Know!
    Feb 14 2025

    In this episode of the Mandarin Monkey Podcast, Tom and Ula dive into the world of untranslatable words—those linguistic gems that exist in Mandarin but leave English speakers scratching their heads, and vice versa. They explore phrases like "懒得理 (lǎn de lǐ)"—the perfect expression for when you just can’t be bothered—and "面子 (miànzi)", the all-important social concept of saving face.

    From the emotional richness of "心酸 (xīn suān)"—that bittersweet feeling of nostalgia—to the English quirk of feeling "hangry" when hunger turns you into a monster, this episode uncovers the fascinating differences that shape how we express ourselves across cultures.

    Plus, they challenge each other to guess the meaning behind some of the weirdest literal translations—like "wolf swallows, tiger gulps"—and invent some brand-new words for those everyday moments we all recognize but never knew how to name.

    Tune in for laughs, language insights, and a new appreciation for the wonderfully weird world of words!

    Get bonus content on Patreon

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    57 mins
  • 拍马屁 pāi mǎ pì - Slap the horses bum - Mandarin & English Podcast

    拍马屁 pāi mǎ pì - Slap the horses bum - Mandarin & English Podcast
    Feb 7 2025
    In this engaging episode of the Mandarin Monkey Podcast, hosts Tom and Ula delve into the fascinating world of literal translations between Mandarin and English. They explore how certain phrases, when translated word-for-word, can lead to humorous or confusing interpretations due to cultural and linguistic differences. The discussion includes idioms and expressions from both languages, highlighting the challenges and amusement that arise in translation. Listeners are treated to examples such as "It's raining cats and dogs" and its potential literal Mandarin translation, as well as Mandarin idioms like "一日三秋" (yī rì sān qiū), which literally means "one day, three autumns," but conveys the feeling of missing someone deeply. This episode offers a delightful blend of language learning and cultural insights, making it a must-listen for those interested in the nuances of Mandarin and English expressions. Get bonus content on Patreon

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    50 mins

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Profile Image for J. Keegan

This was just what I was looking for

I studied Chinese about 10 years ago and have recently begun re-learning it. I'm quite busy though and it's hard to dedicate time daily lessons at this point, and I also want to make sure I'm going to stick with it before I commit financially to something like that. I had the idea to just try some immersion for free by listening to this podcast while I am doing non-meeting things at work, kind of in the background. After one day of listening to two podcasts, I woke up the next morning and began remembering all kinds of things I had forgotten from 10 years ago - it definitely is "sinking in" and tapping into the deeper parts of my mind.

Aside from that, it's quite entertaining most of the time, and I enjoy the way it goes back and forth from English to Chinese. I've slowly started to add a few other things into my learning, like the Drops app (5 free minutes of vocab every day), and the more I listen to the podcast the more I am wanting to do - the more I am inspired to continue learning.

If I could make one suggestion for the hosts, I would love if you could provide the website names (or a link somewhere on your website under "resources") for some of the things you all reference. You often talk about good resources to help people learn, but I have had a hard time finding some of those just by Googling - but I would like to find them! Just a thought...

While this podcast probably won't ever just teach you Chinese if you do nothing but listen to it, I think this is a wonderful supplement to other learning you are doing. I've also been doing a Paul Noble audio program through Audible and I was having a hard time remembering some of it when I was "away from" it. Now that I've started listening to this podcast daily, everything I'm learning is sticking better in my memory - I think of it way more often, and it's becoming more natural. And you WILL learn some things just by listening as well.

Thank you for hosting this podcast - I really enjoy it! If you're an English speaker wanting to immerse yourself in more Chinese language, this is a great, free way to do so.

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Great show

Helps my mandarin so much! I get the input I need from Ula and the context from Tom. Plus it’s fun.

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